Blooming Flower
by ArishiaEAM
Summary: A story about how my OC came to be HItsugayaxHitomi
1. A Legend Begins

_"Hey watch out!" a man yelled._

_"NOOOOO!" screamed a woman_

_There was so much pain, I couldn't stand it…and then a wave of blackness washed over me._

I opened my eyes and found myself in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by ancient trees that were a vibrant shade of green. I looked to the left of me and my eyes met with a fox's that was lurking just on the edge of the clearing. As soon as I began to sit up the fox darted away, deeper into the forest. When I reached my feet I was suddenly hit with a wave of panic.

"_W-where am I?_" I thought "_W-who am I?_" My hands flew to my face, but they didn't feel like my hands, it didn't feel like my face. I knew nothing and I was so scared, I felt so alone. So I did the only thing I could think of, I cried. I cried so hard and for so long that after I was done I didn't even have the strength to stand and I fell to the ground. I was so tired, my eyes began to close automatically and just before I blacked out I saw a humanoid figure approach me from the woods.

For the second time I opened my eyes in this strange world, except this time I was lying in a bed instead of the grass. I also was not alone this time, sitting right in front of me was a women. She looked 50 with short spiky gray hair, and pale orange eyes. Her outfit consisted of a tiger print kimono that appeared to be very worn but still in good condition.

"I see you're finally awake" the tiger lady spoke "My name is Katy Lynn, what's yours?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know" I replied.

"Hmmm, well I'll just have to give you a name" Katy Lynn stated.

"Huh?" was my oh-so-intelligent response.

"Let's see, you came from far away so your last name is now Mairuzu" she decided "And your first name is Hitomi, because you have such beautiful eyes."

"Umm, I was wondering if I could borrow a mirror" I asked sheepishly "I actually don't know what I look like"

"Oh of course dear" she replied earnestly. Katy Lynn then stepped out of the room; I took this time to take in my surroundings. It was a simple bedroom with wood floors, and only one window on the wall the left of me. Next to me, on my right side, was a wooden dresser and on the other side of the bed was a chair. I assumed that was the chair that Katy Lynn was sitting on when she waited for me to awake. A few seconds later Katy Lynn re-entered the room with a full length mirror.

"Go on and take a look" she encouraged. I warily climbed out of bed and went over to the mirror. The person I saw in the mirror is not who I pictured at all. I saw a girl around the age of eight with brown skin and dark brown curly hair that went just past my shoulders. I had a little button nose, with full peachy colored lips. I had long black lashes on my big round eyes, which were a brilliant shade of dark green. I took a step back to get a good look at the rest of me. I was wearing a yellow kimono with green leaves on it that matched my eyes, and around my waist was a green sash.

"w-wow, is that really me" I said in utter disbelief. The girl looking at me was cute, but not in an obvious way but in a subtle way.

"I think that you are going to grow up to be a very beautiful woman." Katy said smiling at me "Hitomi I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Would you like to stay here with me, and be in my family?" I looked at her shocked, I mean I had just met her but she seemed so nice. I also had nowhere else to go, on that note I made my decision

"Miss Katy Lynn" I stated firmly "I would love to stay with you"

**Time Lapse: (2 years) Katy taught Hitomi about Soul Society, which is where she was currently residing. Katy lives in the 1****st**** district of Rukon making kimonos and other articles of clothing for wealthier families. Katy will often travel into the woods for supplies. Katy is going to teach Hitomi the ways of weaving, so that she can help with her work. **

I reached my hand into the bush in search of some berries that Katy could use to dye her fabric. My basket was already pretty full but I was sure I could fit just a few more in there.

"Hitomi I think that's enough berries for now" yelled Katy from a few bushes away. We were in the middle of the woods in an area where Katy comes regularly. "You don't want to squish any of the berries on the bottom of your basket do you?"

"No ma'am" I responded.

"It's about time that we get back" she stated " We are going to go and visit an old friend of mine, that I haven't seen in a long time" On that note the two of us began to walk back to our house in the first district. We got back and I set my berries down in Katy's room which also doubled as her weaving room.

"Hitomi go on down to the stream and take a quick rinse so you can make a good first impression" Katy Lynn ordered. I walked down to the steam, stripped off my clothes and proceeded to enter the chilly waters. I let the water rinse out all the sticks and other objects that were tangled in my hair. After my rinse I dried off and put on my spare kimono that Katy had made for me. It was peach with teal flowers on it and a teal sash. "Ready to go?" asked Katy.

"Yep" was my reply. We traveled on the main road, to go to this person's house. We passed by many large and beautiful houses on the way there. "_Katy's friend must be rich to live in such an important neighborhood" _I thought.My feet were getting a little tired from walking, and just as I was about to ask how much further she said that we were here. The house in front of me was not a huge one, it was probably the same size as the house Katy and I lived in.

We approached the door step and Katy knocked on the side of the house, to make the resident aware of our arrival.

"Come in" said a frail female voice. The two of us entered the tiny house, and Katy walked to what appeared to be a little living area. Sitting in the living area holding a cup of tea was a tiny old woman with snow white hair that had been pulled back into a tight bun.

"Hello K" she said in that quiet little voice of hers.

"Hello G" Katy responded back.

"So what brings you to my house today K" G asked

"Just a social visit, I haven't seen you for the better part of two years and I thought I would stop in and say hello" Katy said smiling.

"I see, and who is this that you have brought with you" questioned the old lady.

"This is Hitomi, she's a young girl I found in the woods about two years ago" Katy explained "She is probably the same age as that grandson of yours, what's his name again…..Oh right, Hitsugaya."

"Actually he's here right now, he went outside to go eat some watermelon" G said, she then turned her head to me "why don't you go and join him Hitomi, just head out that door right there" I was a bit hesitant at first, not entirely sure if I should go or not, so I turned to Katy Lynn and she nodded. I headed out the door that G told me and I saw a boy with stark white hair sitting on the edge of the house. He was wearing a black Shihakushō and a white sleeveless haori over that. Sitting on his left was a sheathed sword, and on his right was a plate of watermelon.

He turned around when I stepped out onto the porch like structure that overlooked a valley. My heart caught in my throat when he looked at me. His eyes were vibrant turquoise, yet it wasn't his eyes that made me hold my tongue, it was the icy aura that was being directed at me.

"Who are you?" he said. Those three words chilled me to the bone and I couldn't find the right words to respond.


	2. A Fateful Encounter

"M-Mairuzu Hitomi" I replied when I had finally found the ability to speak again. "I live with Katy Lynn and help her with weaving"

"I see" he said, obviously uninterested in this conversation.

"May I sit down and have some watermelon?" I asked shyly.

"Sure" he blandly answered. I sat down and picked up a piece of watermelon, he proceeded to pick up another piece of watermelon. The two of us just ate watermelon and stared out into the valley, not saying anything. Then I caught movement in the corner of my eye and turned my head. Coming around the side of the house was a fox. Hitsugaya turned towards the fox and eyed it warily; unsure of what it was planning to do. The fox felt familiar; it looked like every other fox but it carried a familiar aura. That's when I realized that it was the fox from the woods, which I saw when I first woke up in Soul Society. I didn't get a good look at it before but now I see that is has orange fur with little flecks of black covering his back and the top of his head. The fur covering the rest of his body is pure white. It silently walked closer and closer to Hitsugaya and I. Just before it reached us Hitsugaya unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the fox. The fox turned its head away from Hitsugaya's sword and looked at me. Suddenly a voice sounded in my head.

"_Please Hime, don't let him attack me, I do not mean any harm" _I was shocked, and looked at the fox in disbelief.

"D-do you mean me?" I asked it out loud.

"What are you talking about Hitomi?" Hitsugaya asked, obviously very confused.

"The fox just spoke to me" I answered, hardly able to believe the words coming out of my mouth.

"_Hime, it is time that you realized your full potential, but I cannot help you with this sword in my face" the_ fox said in my head.

"Hitsugaya put down your sword, this fox means us no harm" I confidently stated.

"Fine" he said, as he lowers his sword but doesn't put it away in its sheath. The fox then comes next to me, lies down and rests its head on my lap. I began to pet its head, and it closes its eyes.

"Do you have a name fox?" I asked the creature resting in my lap.

_"For now you can call me Gin" _he communicated.

"So what's its name?" Hitsugaya asked after he sat down again.

"Gin" I responded.

"Gin?!" he said surprised, momentarily dropping his icy demeanor.

"Yes, that's his name" I assured "Why, is there a problem?"

"No" he said, returning back to his cold icy self. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to eat watermelon with one hand and pet Gin with the other. We sat there for a long time just doing nothing, and soon the sun began to set.

"Wow the view of the sunset her is amazing" I said amazed "Don't you think so Hitsugaya?" I turned my head towards him and found him looking at me with soft eyes. "What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing, I was just remembering" he said and then turned back towards the sunset.

"Hitsugaya, what's your full name?" I asked embarrassed because I had just spent an entire afternoon with the boy and I didn't even know his full name.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya, but I would prefer if you called my Captain Hitsugaya" He said

"Why captain?" I asked

"Because that is my rank in the Gotei 13" he answered

"What's that?"

"How do you not know?" he said surprised "The Gotei 13 protect the dead from hollows and help them cross over to soul society.

"Oh, Katy did mention something like that a while ago" I said finally understanding "She also said that only the most powerful members can be captains"

"She is correct" Hitsugaya assured

"But you are so young, you're basically my age" I exclaimed.

"I'm sort of a prodigy"

"Oh, that explains it" I finally understood

"Hitomi it's time to head home!" yelled Katy Lynn

"Coming ma'am" I responded "It was nice meeting you Captain Hitsugaya" I looked down at the fox in my lap and gently woke Gin from his slumber. "It's time for me to leave" I told him

_"Then I will come with you hime, I am here to protect you"_

"I don't know if Katy will allow that" I told him

_"Why don't you ask her" _he responded. I walked into the house with Gin right next to me and Captain Hitsugaya right behind me. I asked Katy if we could keep the fox and to my surprise she allowed it. Hitsugaya gave G a kiss on the forehead and told her that he would come and visit again. He then left out the door and disappeared. Katy and I thanked G for the stay and we headed home. When we got home Katy told me that it was time for me to go to bed and I obeyed.

In My Dream: I was walking in a huge forest with giant ancient trees that were a fluorescent green and the ground was littered with flowers of every color imaginable. It was beautiful and I never wanted to leave. I began to start exploring this strange place until I came upon a woman. She turned her head to look at me and she was gorgeous. Her skin was a pale white with a tint of green, her eyes had no pupils but her iris was purple. Her hair was a deep dark green that was short in the back and got longer in the front. She had two long strands that framed her face and went down to mid-chest and ended in curls. Her outfit was a Kimono that hung off of her shoulders and it seemed to change colors depending on when you looked at it. Her sash consisted of a pink floral pattern. She turned to look at me and smiled as if she was expecting my arrival.

"Hello mistress, my name is-"She said

"I'm sorry I could not hear your name" I responded

"It seems you are not yet ready to hear my name" She smiled at me "But that's okay you can call me Shi, for now"

"Alright, ummm Shi, where am I?" I asked

"You are in your innerworld" She answered, I think she noticed the confused look on my face because she continued "It is a place that your zanpakuto lives but it is also your soul"

"Does this mean you are my Zanpakuto?" I questioned

"Yes milady, I am here to serve you" she then bowed "I was awakened when you spent so much time with that ice captain, his spiritual pressure gave me enough power to arise."

"I think I understand" I said

"It's time for you to leave you have worried your family by staying her for too long" Shi said. I awoke to something licking my face, when I opened my eyes I saw that it was Gin. I hadn't noticed this before but his eyes were a striking blue color, unlike most foxes whose eyes were usually golden. I didn't have time to dwell on this because no sooner had I opened my eyes Katy Lynn was by my bedside.

"Are you alright Hitomi?" she asked, I looked at her and saw the worry that was etched in her face.

"I'm fine" I responded confused. I then remembered what Shi had told me about staying for too long. "How long was I out?"

"You've been asleep for four days now" she told me.

"W-What, it had only felt like a few hours at most" I exclaimed. Katy then put her hands on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eye.

"Hitomi, were you in your inner world?" I widened my eyes in surprise.

"How did you know about that?" I responded shocked.

"I have lived here a while, plus I was once a shinigami myself, also little flowers were beginning to sprout next to you" she said. I looked next to me and saw little roses, lilies and daisies all growing around my body. "I think it's time that you started preparing yourself to become a shinigami"

"What are you talking about 'become a shinigami' you mean like Captain Hitsugaya?" Katy nodded.

"You have an incredible untapped potential that is being wasted here" she stated "But because I do not want you embarrassing me by showing up to the Shino Academy knowing nothing you are going to have to stay here and train with me for some time"

"A-alright, I'll try my best" I said unsure of what my future would hold.

**Time Lapse (2 years): Katy taught Hitomi about the basics of being a shinigami. Hitomi learned how to fight with a sword, although she wasn't too good at it; her Kido was pretty decent though. Soon the day came that Katy Lynn felt Hitomi was ready to enter the shinigami Academy.**


	3. The Tests Begin

I can't believe it, after all this time I spent training, today is the day. I would finally get to make Katy proud by entering the prestigious Shino academy.

"Make me proud my dear Hitomi" Katy said as she kissed my forehead.

"I'll miss you Katy" I looked up at her with tears in my eyes.

"You'll be having too much work to even think about me" She looked down at me with, trying to put on a tough face but her eyes were beginning to water.

"I love you Katy"

"I love you Hitomi" I gave Katy a big hug and squeezed her tight. When we finished embracing I turned and headed towards the gates.

I only had to carry a small bag containing my whistle that I use to summon Gin, and a letter that Katy gave me. As I neared the gates to Seireitei I began to see many other people filing into the home of the Shinigami. I got in with the crowd and followed where it led me. I stared in awe at the beauty and regality that Seireitei held as I first entered the area but I had no time for staring because the crowd was being directed toward a large white building. We were then ushered inside the building into a large assembly hall where chairs were waiting for us. I took a seat next to a girl with dark blue hair that was swept to the side and braided.

"H-hello, my name is H-Hitomi" I stuttered, the girl next to me turned her head, looked me dead in the eye and smiled. I was taken aback because her teeth were sharp and pointy like that of a shark.

"The name is Kimamora Same" She stuck her hand out for me to shake.

"Well it's very nice to meet you Ms. Same" I replied as I shook her hand. Before we could continue our conversation further we were interrupted by a man with long white hair and a captain's haori silencing the previously noisy room.

"Welcome everyone to Shino academy" he said addressing the crowd "My name is Jūshirō Ukitake; I am a captain of the thirteen court guard squad. I will be in charge of the entrance exam." I suddenly became really nervous. If I didn't make it in I would put shame to Katy's name and all my hard work would be for nothing. "You all will be split into three groups by last names, A-J will be group one, K-S will be group two, and T-Z will be group three."

Then three people wearing armbands on their upper right bicep entered the room. One had blazing red hair that was tied in a high ponytail and had tattoos all over his face. The second was a girl no taller than me with her brown hair put into a bun tied with a cloth covering it. The third man had blonde hair and a very angular part covering his left eye. "These three are lieutenants, and will be assessing each group, please state your name and squad." He said to the lieutenants.

The Red haired one spoke first "My name is Abarai Renji of Squad Six. I will be assessing you on your skills with a sword"

Next the girl spoke, "My name is Hinamori Momo of Squad five. I will be assessing your control on your spiritual energy"

Lastly the boy with the blonde hair spoke, "My name is Izuru Kira of Squad three. I will be assessing your spiritual energy itself."

"Alright, groups one will go with Abarai first, group two will go with Hinamori and group three will go with Izuru." Captain Ukitake announced. I got up and started to walk towards Lieutenant Hinamori when a voice called out behind me.

"Hey, Hitomi wait up" I turned around and saw Kimamora trying to catch up with me.

"I'm sorry for just leaving you" I said "I just got so excited for the exam"

"I'm sure you'll do fine" she reassured me.

"Same goes to you too" I responded back. I was starting to like this Kimamora Same, she seemed nice.

Lieutenant Hinamori led us to a courtyard, there were about fifty of us in the group but the courtyard still had plenty of room even after we had all filed in. I didn't realize it before but I noticed that there was a lot of varying ages in the group, and everybody was wearing different types of apparel.

"Listen up everybody" Hinamori addressed us. "I want you to split into five lines and face the targets at the end of the courtyard" The group did as they were told and in a few minutes there were five lines. Kimamora and I ended up third and fourth in the line on the far left. Hinamori walked to the front of the middle line. She raised her hand to the target and whispered a few words, then a red glow emitted from her hand and a ball of crimson energy soared and hit the target.

"This is called Kido; each of you is going to attempt to do it. I do not expect any of you to be able to do it but it will get me a good gauge of the amount of control you have on your spiritual energy." Lieutenant Hinamori told us. "You will need and incantation to be able to accomplish this task, listen closely so I do not have to repeat myself. '_Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south, Shakkahou'_. First five you're up."

None of the first few groups up were able to get close to the target, much less hit it. A few people had it blow up right in their face; others couldn't even make anything appear in their hands. It was Kimamora's turn to try out the Kido. She chanted the incantation and a red light emitted from her hand, but instead of releasing into a ball of energy, like the Lieutenants, Kimamora's kept getting bigger and bigger. Then it just exploded right in her face and she flew towards the back of the line.

This incident only added to my already high level of nervousness. The rest of the people in Kimamora's group finished. It was time for my group to step up and perform. I stepped forward on the cool grass and breathed in deeply to try and calm my nerves. I raised right hand towards the target and began to chant the incantation. As I was chanting I felt the power rising from my body and being channeled into my hand. I red glow was being emitted from my right hand, and it slowly began to build. I was on the last part of the chant and I could feel that the power inside me was about to be released.

"SHAKKAHOU!" I shouted and that energy that I was storing up got released and it shot towards the target as a red cannonball. I watched as it soared towards the red-ringed target. I was slightly disappointed though when it only made it about three-fourths of the way there. I did not even notice how the rest of my group did, but as I was walking to the back of the line I saw a few of the people waiting look at me in shock. I wondered what could have made them give me that look. That's when I noticed that Lieutenant Hinamori was looking at me with disbelief. She gestured for me to approach where she was waiting. I came up to her, careful to avoid the people who were still testing.

"That is the best we've seen from a testing student in a long time" She said giving me a smile. "How did you learn to control your spiritual energy so well?"

"I was never taught Lieutenant Hinamori" I replied.

"Interesting" she said quietly, while tapping her pen on the clipboard she was holding. "Well you can go back now" I left her to finish evaluating the rest of the test takers. I walked over to Kimamora who was starting to recover from the blast she gave herself before.

"How did you do?" she asked me.

"Lieutenant Hinamori said that I was the best they've seen in a long time" I replied

"Wow, that's great Hitomi" Kimamora said excitedly, totally unharmed by her injury from before.

"You sure bounced back from that blast pretty quickly" I said amazed.

"Yeah, I'm a pretty fast healer" she responded smugly. I smiled at her and she smiled at me, then we both busted out laughing. Before we knew it the first test was already over and we were sent to a classroom to get our spiritual energy tested by Izuru Kira. We all took our seats and waited patiently for out next test to begin.


	4. The Green Glow

We didn't have long to wait because Izuru soon came through the door and stood at the head of the classroom.

"Welcome to your second part of the Shino Academy entrance exam" Izuru's voice broadcasted throughout the entire classroom. "I am Lieutenant Izuru Kira and I will be testing you on your spiritual energy" He then took a clipboard from inside his Shihakushō and read off a name. The person whose name he had called, a boy around the age of seventeen, walked up to the front of the classroom and stood in front of Lieutenant Izuru. Izuru then gestured for the boy to follow him and they walked into a small side room that was just off of the main classroom. The door was not closed so after a while you could see a small faint blue glow coming from the side room.

Moments later the boy walked out and took his seat. Izuru Kira walked back to the head of the classroom and read the next name off of the clipboard. This time a girl around the age of twenty stood up and followed Izuru to the side room. Just like before a faint glow could be seen coming from the small room. The process kept on repeating itself. I was extremely curious as to what could be going on in that little side room. I quickly brushed off my curiosity, knowing that soon I would find out for myself.

I turned to Kimamora, about to begin a conversation with her, but as I was about to open my mouth I noticed that the blue haired girl had fallen asleep. She looked rather disheveled as she slept, with her mouth open and a small dribble of spit coming from her mouth. I looked at her in shock; I mean how someone could just fall asleep during such an important test was beyond my comprehension.

"Mairuzu, Hitomi" Izuru called. I got out of my seat and headed towards the front of the classroom. As I was walking towards him I tripped over my own two feet and was about to fall flat on my face when two arms caught me. I looked up at the person who had saved me from suffering major embarrassment and saw the boy who was called up first to take the test. He had chin length honey blonde hair that framed both sides of his face and his eyes were a muddy brown.

"T-thank Y-you" I stuttered out as I regained my balance.

"No prob" he said in a monotone voice as he sat back down. I quickly hurried down to the Lieutenant, I was careful to watch my step this time. When I reached the bottom he motioned for me to follow him to the next room. The room itself wasn't much; it consisted of a large desk and two chairs facing each other. I presumed that it was a teacher's office. Lieutenant Kira motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs and he sat in the other.

"What you're going to do is focus your spiritual energy into a sphere" He explained to me. I must have looked confused because he then proceeded to produce an example in his hand. It was a bluish orb that floated just above his hand; it was the size of a head, maybe a little bigger. "You may begin". I held my hand out palm facing up and closed my eyes. I focused on gathering my spiritual energy, like when I had performed the Kido. I felt it rushing from every corner of my body into my hand. I opened my eyes and saw that it was the same size as Lieutenant Izuru's; maybe a little smaller than his, but close. The strange thing about my orb was the color; instead of it being the light blue it was shaded green. The Lieutenant's eye's widened in surprise of my feat. I stopped focusing the energy to my hand and the orb began to dissipate. Izuru made some quick writings on his clipboard and then looked back at me.

"That was definitely different than normal; not bad, not good but different" was all he had to say before he dismissed me back to my seat. As I walked out of the side room and back to my seat I could feel a few eyes watching me. It made me uncomfortable so I quickly hurried back to go and sit next to Kimamora, who was still fast asleep.

I decided that I had better wake her before her name got called. I cautiously poked her in the shoulder, hoping she would stir, but nothing happened. I poked her harder but she still refused to budge. I did this a few more times. Each time I tried harder and harder to get her to wake up. I was getting slightly annoyed at my sleeping companion, so I simply shoved her out of her chair. What I didn't expect was for her to wake up as she was falling to the ground.

Kimamora did what any other normal person would do; she tried to prevent herself from hitting the ground. She frantically grabbed at whatever her hands could find, sadly that turned out to be me. She grabbed my arm and we both fell off of our chairs and to the ground with a loud BOOM. The entire classroom turned to look at us for a second but then went back to what they were doing.

"What the hell Hitomi" Kimamora said angrily as she sat up.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to wake you before your name got called" I frantically stated trying to make her less mad at my actions.

"Fine I guess then it was alright, but did you really have to shove me that hard"

"Probably not" I admitted sheepishly.

"Why you li-" she got cut off by her name being called by the Lieutenant. "We are not finished Hitomi" she said feigning anger and she walked down towards Izuru. I watched her enter the room and a blue glow came from under the door. The rest of the second test passed by pretty quickly, and then it was over. We headed to the sparring grounds where we would be participating in the third and final test.

I felt pretty confident on my walk over to the fields. I had done sword training for two years with Katy Lynn. I entered the sparring grounds, which was actually pretty much just a dojo. There were ten different sparring rings. Lieutenant Abarai came up to our group holding a bunch of wooden swords. He told everyone to pass them around and tell everybody got one. He walked to the head of the group and began telling us how the test was going to work.

"You will be split up into pairs based on your last names. You will fight your opponent until he or she gives up." He then announced the partners and the rings they would be fighting on. Because there were only ten rings and twenty five sets of partners they would have to go in three separate groups. My partner and I were set to be in the tenth ring in group one. We each got into position on the opposite sides of the ring. My partner was a girl around the age of seventeen with dark red hair pulled into pigtail on opposite sides of her head and straight bangs. "BEGIN!"

I charge at the girl remembering the lesson that Katy Lynn taught me '_Always make the first move'_. I make a quick jab with my sword towards her stomach and she parries, but just barely. The girl decides to go on the offensive and attack me. She raises the sword over her head and tries to bring it down on my head but I easily deflect the blow. As she struggles to regain balance I charge at her again and knock the sword from her hand. It goes flying out of the ring and lands with a dull 'clack' on the dojo floor. I hold my sword point to her neck.

"Do you give up?" I ask with complete certainty that she will say yes.

"I give up" I lower my sword from her neck and get out of my stance. I smile and hold out my hand just like Katy always taught me to. '_Always be a good winner as well as a good loser'. _The girl frowns and smacks my hand away. She then stomps away from me, I shrug my shoulders. Not everybody can take losing well. I walk towards where Kimamora is standing and await her battle. The second round is boring and then finally it's the third and final round. Kimamora's partner is a huge beefy man that looks twice her size but she doesn't seem fazed.

"BEGIN" the Lieutenant yells and the third round begins. The huge beefy man charges at her with his testosterone flaring but all Kimamora does is smirk. She rolls to the side to avoid his giant strike, and then uses her quickness to get behind him. Kimamora hits the large man in the back of his knees and he falls to the ground. She jumps on top of him and he concedes victory to her. She smiles and flashes a peace sign my way. I could only watch in amazement at her fight.


	5. A New Friend

At the end of the third trial we headed back into the large assembly hall and met up with the other three groups. Captain Ukitake was waiting in there waiting for everybody to take a seat. I took mine right next to Kimamora, just like I had been doing all day. When everybody was seated the white haired Captain raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"Thank you all for taking the entrance exam." His voice echoed throughout the hall "I would like to have every single one of you enter this academy, unfortunately only the top sixty may attend this year" I was suddenly filled with panic, that would cut the group down by more than half of the people. I know I did well at sword fighting but I still wasn't sure if that was enough to get me into the academy. Kimamora must have noticed my distress because she put her hand over mine.

"You'll definitely make it, don't be nervous" she assured me.

"Thanks, you too" she always knew what to say to calm me down. Captain Ukitake continued his speech.

"The results will be posted the day after tomorrow, for now all of you are welcome to stay here and rest for these next two nights." I didn't know if I could wait that long, I was already about to throw up I was nervous. I was relieved to know that I could stay here these two nights it would be annoying for me to have to walk all the way back to Katy's only to leave right away and come back here.

Ukitake dismissed us shortly after explaining where are beds would be. I hustled over to that location. It was really just a large classroom and all the desks had been taken out and beds had been put in. The girls had one classroom and the boys were in another. I picked a bed towards the back of the room; I lied down in my bed and just stared at the ceiling. Through the windows I could tell that it was only it was only mid-afternoon at the latest but for some reason I felt exhausted beyond belief. I heard the door open to the classroom, I sat up to see who it was. Kimamora was walking towards my bed with her grey eyes shining and a huge grin spread across her face, so that her pointy teeth were very noticeable.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked amused

"Oh, just the fact that I'm here and that we both will probably get in" she said with that huge grin plastered on her face. I was truly envious of how confident Kimamora was in herself and her abilities.

"I need to get in, I can't let all of Katy's hard work go to waste" I said lying back down on the bed and letting my curly brown hair spread out all over my pillow. Kimamora lay down on the bed next to mine and turned her head towards me.

"Who's Katy?" the blue-haired girl asked

"Katy Lynn is my employer, my teacher, and my family" I said smiling. "Do you have a family Kimamora?"

"I have siblings, two sisters and an older brother. We aren't related but we live together and provide for each other" Kimamora smiled as she talked about her family, as if she were recalling fond memories. The two of us stayed up talking until the sun went down and neither of us could keep our eyes open. We didn't even stop as girls started to file into the room; nor did we stop when it was time for supper either. We talked and learned all there was to learn about each other.

Kimamora was from a poor part of Soul Society, she had to constantly find different odd jobs to do for people to provide for her family. She had always wanted to become a soul reaper but could not just abandon her sisters and brother. Then one day about a year ago her brother, who was about twenty one, got a solid paying job. Kimamora promised to stay with her family until she was sixteen just to make sure that they had enough to survive on. She then came to the entrance exam and here she is. I had asked her where she had learned to fight so well. Kimamora told me that there wasn't much of a justice system to protect her and her siblings so she had to find some way to protect her family. She had been fighting men and people three times her size since she was ten. I knew that if both of us made it into the academy we would be best friends for a long time. Soon sleep overcame the both of us and we were knocked out.

I was awoken by a certain sharp-toothed girl jumping on my bed. I opened my eyes to see piercing grey ones an inch from my own green eyes. I pushed Kimamora and looked around the room; the only two people that were still left were Kimamora and I. Through the light in the window I could see that it was about noon.

"Let's go Hitomi, you sleep forever" Kimamora stated eagerly "I wanna go and explore the town outside of Seireitei, it's far away from where I live"

"Alright I'm coming" I put on my yellow headband that Katy had given me on my arrival day. We call it arrival day because we don't know when my actual birthday is. I tied my hair back into a single loose braid that went down my back. I got out of bed, rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes and followed Kimamora who was sprinting down the hallways. I had to run to catch up to her and we both ran until we made it outside the gates.

I saw a few of the other people who had taken the exam wandering around, looking at the different shops or just taking a stroll. Kimamora and I started to wander down what appeared to be the main road. We looked at a bunch of different shops, and saw exciting street performers. Then my stomach started growling and I realized I hadn't eaten in almost a day. Kimamora must have heard my noisy belly because she grabbed my hand and ran towards a food stand. They had rice balls and other basic foods; I was so hungry I could have eaten everything at that stand. I was looking in my bag for some money when I came across Katy's letter that I had yet to open. I opened the letter and wrapped inside the folds was some money. The letter itself said: _I knew you would want to buy something while you were away so I have given you some money to spend on yourself. Just don't spend it all in one sitting. Love you, Katy Lynn._

I smiled and used the part of the money to buy some dango and rice balls. I tucked the rest of the money and the letter inside my bag for safekeeping. Kimamora bought herself some food and we walked until we found a place we could sit down. Once we did we chowed on our food like a pack of wild animals, we devoured every last grain of rice and licked any last bits of food left on our fingers.

"That hit the spot, right Hitomi?" A very satisfied Kimamora said as she lay down on the ground staring at the clouds.

"Most definitely" I responded, copying her actions. The two of us lay there for a bit letting the food digest. After a while we decided it was time to go back and look at shops. We saw a stand where a man was selling animal masks. Kimamora put on a fish mask and I picked up a fox mask. I tried my best to do a fox noise but it sounded like I was coughing up a loogey. Kimamora didn't help by laughing right at me. She had to take off her mask because she had tears running down her eyes. The laughter was contagious because before I knew it I was joining in on merriment.

After we calmed ourselves down I put my mask back on the stand and turned to go and look at other stands. I began to walk back towards the middle of the path when somebody ran into me. The first thing that registered in my mind was an icy aura being directed towards me. I looked up at the person who had run me over and saw white spiky hair and turquoise eyes. I then noticed the captain's haori with the cut off sleeves. Then a hand was being held out to me, I grabbed it and it pulled my up from the ground.

"Hello Captain Hitsugaya" I said "Nice to meet see you again


	6. Hitting the Town

**Please Read and Review, This chapter has more of the beginnings of romance so let's see how it turns out and tell me what you think**

**Love ya, ArishiaEAM**

* * *

"You're that girl who lives with Katy"

"I'm glad you remembered me" I smiled at him. Kimamora came running up to me to see if I was okay.

"Hitomi, are you alright? I saw you being attacked" she said as she squeezed the life out of me.

"Right now the only one attacking me is you" I stated very matter-of-factly. I swear the corners of Hitsugaya's mouth turned upwards, but I brushed it off thinking it must be my imagination. Kimamora let go of me and proceeded to give Hitsugaya a once over.

"You're a captain right? Well you should be more aware of your surroundings" Kimamora said in snarky tone.

"A student who is trying to get into the academy shouldn't be taunting a captain" Hitsugaya rebutted. Kimamora turned her head in defeat but she wasn't upset for long because an attractive man in Shihakushō with the sleeves rolled up, and a 69 tattoo on his face walked past us. She turned to me and smiled apologetically.

"I've got something to take care of Hitomi, do you mind if I leave for a sec?" she winked at me and left me alone with Hitsugaya. I sighed and watched her rush after the attractive man, and then turned to Captain Hitsugaya.

"It was nice seeing you again Captain Hitsugaya, hopefully we'll see more of each other if I get into the academy" I smiled at him and was turning to walk away when he grabbed my wrist. A tiny blush crept up my face as I felt his cool touch on my arm.

"I have leave today and it would be irresponsible of me to leave you all alone in a location that you are unfamiliar with. I will escort you around this area for the rest of today." He let go of my wrist and I turned to face him. I was secretly happy that he offered for two reasons. The first reason is that I really enjoyed spending time with the captain, not that I like him or anything, I just enjoyed his company. The second reason is because I was just a little bit lost.

"That would be awesome; Kimamora didn't really know where she was going so I'm a tad lost I admitted while looking at the ground. Hitsugaya and I walked around all of the different buildings and shops that I missed while traveling with Kimamora. We didn't really talk much but it was okay because that's just how the two of us were; it was a very calm and peaceful time. Hitsugaya was leading and I was following right behind him, when he suddenly stopped next to an alleyway.

"Follow me" He said as he walked down the alleyway and I followed him. The alley was dark and ominous, the scent it was giving off almost made me gag a little; although Hitsugaya was unaffected. We walked all the way to the end of the alley, in front of us stood a tall wooden fence. I was really puzzled, why would Hitsugaya lead me down into a dark alley if it only leads to a dead end? What if he was attempting to kill me and he didn't want any witnesses? My body immediately tensed up.

"Don't worry I'm not trying to kill you" He said as if he was reading my mind.

"Then what are we doing at a dead end?"

"Just follow me" He then kept walking straight forward, and just as I thought he was going to hit the fence, he actually went through it. My mouth formed a tiny "O" at what I was witnessing. Soon his entire body had gone through the fence, I was beginning to question whether I should follow or not. He must have realized that I hadn't followed him because his head poked though the fence.

"Come on, I have something to show you" I cautiously took a few steps towards the fence and I gingerly put my hand on the supposedly wooden structure. Just as my hand made contact it sank through the fence, I then proceeded to put the other hand through, then my head and soon the rest of my body. What I found on the other side of the fence amazed me to the core.

The area was about the size of a small park. In the center was a beautiful water fountain that was spraying crystal clear water out of its spout. I was standing on cool healthy grass that was littered with flowers of all shapes and sizes. I saw different types of trees scattered around the area, and different animals taking shade underneath them. I noticed that one of the animals was a fox, it raised its head from the position it was sleeping in and I saw the cerulean blue eyes.

"Gin" I shouted

"_Hime, I knew you would find your way here. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye I just had to get this place ready for you" _

Gin had left about a year ago, he said that he had something important to do but he gave me a whistle to call him. He told me not to call him until after I had become a shinigami. I was curious as to how Hitsugaya knew about this place. Then I remembered that I had come in with him, I looked around and saw him sitting on a bench that was placed by the water fountain. I walked up to him and sat down next to him.

"Captain Hitsugaya how did you know about this location?" I asked

"One day about a year ago I was taking a walk through the town when a fox appeared before me. I remembered the blue eyes, and I could tell that it was Gin. It ran away but I followed it, and he led me here, I assumed this was meant for you because that fox belongs to you." He said "I came by this place once a month to see what was going on. At first it was just a patch of dirt but then it had the water fountain, then grass started grow, soon trees had sprouted up, next flowers popped up and then animals came. It was truly an amazing transformation"

"Thank you Hitsugaya for watching over this place, I know you didn't have to but you did anyway" I said

"No problem" The two of us sat and watched the water fountain until the sun was just beginning to set. We didn't say anything to each other but I believe that words would have only ruined the moment. Then Hitsugaya got up to leave and I followed. As soon as we left the fence Hitsugaya gave me directions back to the academy and then he took off. I quickly hurried back to the academy classroom. By the time I made it back to the class room it was already dark and half of the girls were already in their beds. I found Kimamora lying in her bed not asleep. I walked over to my bed and turned my head her way; she turned her head my way.

"I have to tell you about my day" we both said in unison.

"You go first" we said at the same time again. We finally decided to play rock paper scissors over who would get to go first, I won. I told her about my day with Hitsugaya and she squealed; a few people shushed her but she just flipped them off.

"Hitomi, I think he likes you" she smirked at me.

"W-what? I-I don't f-feel that way about H-Hitsugaya" I became a stuttering blushing mess.

"Sure you don't, and my hair isn't blue"

W-well how did y-your day go?" I asked trying to get the attention off of me.

"Since you asked I'll tell you. So after I attacked you I saw this really cute guy and my hormones kicked in so I just sorta stalked him for a little while but I'm not exactly stealthy and he figured out I was following him. Then he smirked at me, I mean of all the nerve, he smirked at me. Well then he started taunting me about how I followed him and I got frustrated so I punched him in the stomach. He was surprised but once he got over the pain he stuck out his hand and asked for a truce. Then he bought me more rice balls and talked with me until sunset then he ditched me. He was so sweet and nice but he always looked kinda sad too"

"I'm pretty sure that you like him" I smirked at her

"I don't like people Hitomi it's just not my thing"

"Whatever you say Kimamora, anyways let's go to be the results are going to be posted tomorrow"

"yeah, yeah whatever"


	7. Results are In

I was awoken by somebody jumping on my bed, I opened my eyes and just like the previous morning I was greeted by big shining silver eyes.

"I'm sensing a pattern" I said groggily as I rolled myself out of bed. Kimamora jumped off my bed and grabbed me by my shoulder.

"Hitomi, the results are going to be posted in fifteen minutes" She shook me hard. I put my yellow headband in my hair, like I do every day, and then I braided my hair. I adjusted my yellow kimono and packed up the few things that I had. As soon as I was ready to go Kimamora grabbed my hand and bolted out of the classroom. We entered the large hall that we started in on the first day; almost everybody was here already. We were lucky to find two open seats towards the middle of the room.

I looked around and got a good look at the crowd that had gathered here. A lot of the people had worried or anxious looks on their face, a few of them were nonchalantly sitting in their chairs and some had pure excitement in their eyes. Kimamora was just about to explode out of herself, her leg was tapping, she twiddled her thumbs and she had a great big grin on her face. I wasn't too sure how to feel; I was assuming that I got in but I didn't want to get my hopes up in case I didn't make it. After what seemed like forever Captain Ukitake walked into the room. As soon as he entered the hall went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He coughed a few times and then cleared his throat.

"I hope all of you enjoyed your one day of break" he smiled at us "Now it's time to announce the results of who is going to make it into the lovely Shino Academy. About 150 of you took the entrance exam but only 60 of you will be admitted into the school. If I don't call your name you may leave, this list is in no particular order so if you get called first that doesn't mean you were the best" Ukitake started to call off names. "Number thirty-six Mairuzu, Hitomi." I nearly jumped out of my seat in joy when he called my name; I would be sure to make Katy proud. I waited anxiously for Kimamora's name to be called; he started getting into the high fifties and I was beginning to wonder if she even got in. "Number sixty Same, Kimamora" I breathed a sigh of relief when he finally called her name. Kimamora turned to me and smiled that toothy smile of hers.

"We both got in" she said, ecstatic beyond belief. " I was a little worried towards the end to see if they would call my name but it seems my worries were for nothing" I gave her a big hug and then we waited for the rest of the people who didn't make it to file out of the classroom. I saw the girl I fought in the third trial leave the room in tears. I felt kind of bad that she didn't make it but I reminded myself that you can take the entrance exam as many times as you want. Once all the other people left I took a look at who was left in my class. The boy with the honey blonde hair made it; I don't know why but I was little bit happy about that. The giant oaf that Kimamora had to fight in the third trial also made it. I didn't recognize anybody else.

"Congratulations on making it into this academy but I still have to separate you once more. You will now be split up into advanced classes or regular classes; 40 of you will be placed into regular classes the other 20 will be put into advanced classes. The twenty students I read off are going to be placed into advanced classes; this is in order from best to worst so pay attention to your ranking." Ukitake told us. I hoped that I made it into advanced classes but I also wished the same for Kimamora too. "Number one Purinsu, Leon, number two Mairuzu, Hitomi" My jaw dropped just a little bit, I mean how I could be number two out of a class of sixty people astounded me. I listened to the list and heard a bunch of unfamiliar names. "Number twelve Same, Kimamora"

A big smiles spread across both of our faces and we gave each other high fives. I was so happy that we would get to take classes together. I noticed that a few of the other students were giving me glares and looks of jealousy. That's when I realized something huge; I was a lot younger than a lot of my classmates. Most of them appeared to be around Kimamora's age or even older, not a single one of them even came close to my tender age of 12. I understood why they would be mad, I would be angry if some kid came and upstaged me. Ukitake cleared his throat after he had read the twentieth name off. Then Renji came in through the side door and walked to the front of the hall.

"If all of you could please follow me to receive your uniforms and information on where you will be staying" We all stood up and followed him out of the room. We went down some hallways and ended up at what looked like an office area. There were two tables, one had red uniforms the other had blue. "Girls you will pick up a red uniform and boys you will pick up a blue" Renji ordered. The girls all stood in a line waiting to receive their uniform, when everybody got their uniform Lieutenant Abarai spoke again. "Follow me to your room assignments" Once again we all followed him and he led us to a large dorm area. There were two dorms separated by a walkway and a garden. "Girls, Hinamori will be waiting for you in the dorms to the right, boys, follow me"

The boys went with Lieutenant Abarai and the girls went towards our dorm on the right side of the walkway. Just as Abarai said Lieutenant Hinamori was waiting for us in the dorm building right in front of the doors.

"Welcome ladies to the girls dorms, these will be your home for the next six years while you learn how to become a Shinigami. There are a few rules that you will need to now: number 1 no going into the boys dorms, Number 2 curfew is 10:00 pm, if you're late you will be punished, and number 3 no boys are allowed in these dorms. Alright then, each of you will get assigned a roommate, you can switch roommates if you want but both parties have to agree. Your rooms will be on the sixth floor because you're first years but as you progress your rooms will get better and better" Hinamori explained to us, she then gave us our rooming assignment. Kimamora and I were in separate rooms but we asked our roommates to switch right away; both of them agreed.

We ran to the top of the stairs and straight to our rooms. I unlocked the door with the key that Hinamori gave us and plopped down on the first bed. Kimamora went to the bed on the other side of the room. We each had a small closet, a bedside table and there was a separate bathroom. I didn't realize just how exhausted I was until I lay on the bed and before I knew it I was asleep.

In My Dream: I was back in that ancient forest and I was wandering around when I saw Shi. She looked like she had gotten a little bit older than the last time I saw her. She turned around and looked at me, when she her eyes met mine she smiled.

"I am your soul Hitomi, it's only natural that as you grow up, so do I" she said as if she read my mind.

"Why am I visiting this place after so long, it's been nearly two years since my last visit?" I asked her.

"You are beginning a new chapter in your life my dear Hitomi and I will be a large part in it. Soon you will learn my name but it is time for you to wake up child. You do not want to be late on your first day of school" She smiled at me and then began to walk away. My eyes started to close in this world.

Back to Reality:  I woke up and was amazed to find that, just like before, flowers and other plants had begun to sprout up around, and on my bed.


	8. Bad First Day

The sun was shining through our tiny window and Kimamora was just beginning to wake up. She turned her head towards my bed and saw the flowers that were growing on it. She jumped up, rubbed her eyes and blinked; she even slapped herself just to confirm that she was seeing what she was seeing. I had only woken up moments ago so I had no time to pick the flora from my bed.

"Hitomi" she said calmly

"Yes" I responded, just as calm.

"There are flowers planted on your bed and they weren't there when I went to sleep" she stated obviously confused.

"They sprout up every time I go to my innerworld" I said. She looked slightly puzzled by my statement but then she happened to glance at the clock and her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. It read 7:45 the entrance ceremony started at 8:00. Oh, shit.

"AHHHHH! We're going to be late" she yelled as she jumped out of bed and ran to put on her uniform. I did the same but without all of the yelling. We bolted out of our rooms and ran down the stairs. We sprinted towards the main building where most of the students were. Then I realized with dread, we didn't know where the entrance ceremony was being held. The thought seemed to occur to Kimamora because she grabbed a tall lanky boy with straight black hair and interrogated him about where we should go.

It was already 7:56 and we had four minutes to get to class. We sprinted to the large hall which just so happened to be on the other side of the building. We arrived at the hall with exactly thirty seconds to spare. When we burst into the hall out of breath the entire room shifted their gaze to us. We quickly found two chairs towards the front of the room. No sooner had we sat down a bell sounded and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto , the head captain stood in front of the assembled participants.

"Welcome" his voice echoed through the room "and congratulations on making it into Shino academy. I know that all of you will try your hardest to reach your potential and then surpass that." The head captain then moved off to the side and Captain Ukitake took his place in the front of the room.

"You all are probably tired of hearing me speak but I promise that you will not hear from me again until the end of the year" Ukitake continued his speech but I got the feeling that someone was looking at me. I looked around the room and didn't spot any of the first years staring at me and then I looked toward the front of me; what I saw made me freeze. The head captain was staring at me with his all-knowing eyes; I turned around to see if he was looking at someone behind me but when I looked back I was positive he was staring at me. I averted my gaze from his and tried my best to pay attention to what Captain Ukitake was saying but it was easier said than done. "And now I would like to introduce the head teacher of the first year class Gengoro Onabara" Ukitake moved to the side and stood next to the head captain.

"Congratulations on making it into this school but the real test begins now. I expect nothing less than your greatest effort on everything that you do and by the end of these six years you will be recruited into the Gotei 13. I will teach the basics of being a Shinigami to both the advanced class and the regular class but we will go through the material much quicker with the advanced class. The advanced class will meet in room R38 and regular class students with the last names A-N will meet in the dojo and students with the last name O-Z will meet in room D10. You will start in ten minutes; you are dismissed" Gengoro Onabara instructed us. We got up and headed towards the door. There was a person handing out maps of the school and we each took one.

Our classroom was in the left wing of the school and we were presently in the middle. It was a lot easier getting through school when we actually knew where we were going. We arrived at our classroom and found some spots in the middle. Kids continued to file in a steady stream and soon everybody filled up the classroom. After ten minutes Gengoro Onabara walked into the room and stood behind the podium at the front of the room.

"Today we will be discussing the basics of being a shinigami, including what your responsibility is." He began the lecture. "You will find your workbooks underneath your chairs" I bent down and underneath my chair was a workbook, just like Onabara Sensei said. It was labeled 'Shinigami: The Basics' I flipped through the book and saw different pictures of monsters and swords. The lecture was boring because Katy told me most of it but there were little tid-bits that were unfamiliar to me; it went on for about an hour and a half. What really stuck with me was his last sentence. "The job of a Shinigami is to maintain order not to defeat Evil" Maintain order, not defeat evil; what kind of logic is that. I was a little unnerved by these revelations.

The bell rang and Onabara told us to head toward the dojo and meet up with our sensei. When we got there the kids from the regular class were just leaving. A few of them glared at me while they were leaving. I lowered my gaze to the ground trying to avoid the hate-filled glares. I felt Kimamora put her hand on my shoulder and I looked up to her with a grateful look. A man stood in front of the dojo he was tall, wearing a black Shihakushō and he had a gold boxing glove necklace hanging around his neck. He had shaggy shoulder-length deep blue hair.

"Hello everybody" the man said in a deep booming voice. "My name is Sento, Kankuro and I will teach you all how to fight; hand-to-hand combat and with a sword. You first years will be receiving your zanpakuto today. You're Zanpakuto has two stages: shikai and bankai, you will have to train every day to awaken your shikai and even if you are able to that very few, if any of you will ever achieve bankai." He then handed out swords to all of us. "Alright today will be evaluation only and you will be paired up, the higher odd will be ranked with a lower even." He stepped to the first ring. "Number 1 Purinsu, Leon vs. Number 2 Mairuzu, Hitomi" I stepped into the ring facing the boy with honey-blonde hair and green eyes who had caught me during the second exam. I was shaking slightly, he was giving off a presence of power and I felt like a little ant underneath his foot. I raised my sword hesitantly and he raised his against me. "Begin!"

I had barely registered Sento's words when Leon charged at me sword raised. I barely blocked his sword strike and was thrown backwards almost to the edge of the ring. He was sixteen year old boy and I was only a tiny twelve year old girl, how could I hope to compete with his brute strength. I regained my footing and shakily stood up. Once again Leon charged me but this time I was ready for him and just as he reached me I side-stepped him and got around him. Leon expected me to do that and he hit me in the stomach with the butt of his sword. I keeled over in pain and gasped for air but he turned around and once again took a swing at me. I blocked his sword but the sheer force of the blow threw me out of the ring. He stood above me and looked down at me with hardened eyes.

"There's a big difference between first and second place" He said.

** Two years later: I trained every day with my sword and was able to beat Leon at the end of the first year. The entire class was surprised to say the least. I attained the rank of number one. Shi and I talked every few months and every time I would wake up with flowers and plants growing on my bed. My kido had improved and I was at the top of my class. Well actually I was at the top of the class a year ahead of me. My classmates weren't too thrilled about my accomplishments and ignored me so I wasn't very popular. I didn't hang out with anyone so I always had time to concentrate on my studies. I was so advanced that I was taking the exit exam after two years of being in the academy. I was fourteen years old.**


	9. Final Exam Day

I was nervous, today is the day of the exam and I felt trapped. I felt as if I was growing up just too fast. I swear it was only yesterday that I entered this academy and now this test will determine if I leave today or not. I was aware that most of the other kids did not like my sudden rise in placement, even Kimamora seemed jealous of my rise to fame. I had not yet achieved my shikai but neither did most of the entire sixth year class. Actually only the top of the class had achieved their shikai and he still was struggling with his newly attained power.

I woke up the morning of the exam in an empty room. The other students had already left for the break because their exams ended yesterday. Even Kimamora had gone home for two months before school began again. I put on my academy uniform for possibly the last time. My room was on the fourth after two years. I had grown to love this dorm, like one time in my second year here a couple of the sixth years threw a party. They brought alcohol, which is totally prohibited on school grounds, and a ton of kids got drunk; Kimamora included. It went on for about two hours before the noise alerted some teachers. As soon as the girls heard the teachers were alerted we cleaned up everything in less than two minutes and headed back to our rooms. The teachers came in to see what all the noise was but there was nothing there.

I chuckled to myself at the times that I had here. I was kind of upset that I wouldn't get the chance to make more memories. At the same time I was happy to be leaving; nobody really liked me here except for Kimamora and I was feeling like she was pulling away. I had no regrets about taking this test today; so I packed up my stuff and I closed my door. I walked down the steps and headed to the testing grounds.

The test was taking place in an open field. Most of the students were already there and stared at me as I approached. I must have been a sight, my hair was slightly messy from running and my sword was still a little long for my 5'5 height. Actually my sword had always been too long for my, even when I received it at twelve it was long but now it was still very long. Our graduation exam was being tested by two captains. One of the captains was Hitsugaya, I noticed him immediately because of his white hair. I hadn't seen him in two years and he had grown taller, his face was more mature. The other was Captain Ukitake. Once everyone gathered together Ukitake cleared his throat.

"Welcome everybody to the final exam" he said "This exam isn't a pass and fail; it is a demonstration of your abilities so that we can determine what squad you can be placed in"

"Or if you make it into a squad" Hitsugaya said "Some of you may not be accepted into the Gotei 13, others might make it into Kido corps, but a few of you may not make it into anything." I can't believe that some of us might make not it into the Gotei 13 and they'll just be sent home. "The test will be a one v. one match; there will be two going on at a time. Ukitake will be watching one and I will be watching the other."

The matches began and the fights ensued; each matches lasted anywhere from 10-45 minutes. The boy who had obtained shikai only managed to unleash his shikai for a few minutes before the strain of releasing it made him too tired. I was the last match of the day; it was about five in the afternoon. My opponent was seated twelfth in his year so I know it would be a tough match. It was just my luck that Hitsugaya had just finished his last match and came over to view mine; everybody else decided that it would be fun to watch the little fourteen year old fight.

My opponent was tall and muscular but not huge; he had a more lean muscle. He had short choppy honey-blonde hair and dark brown eyes, he reminded me of Leon. I remembered the day that I had finally beaten Leon. I had trained extra every day after my defeat to Leon on the first day of school. It was the end of the school year when I had finally worked up the courage to ask for a challenge, he accepted. The fight was supposed to just be a private fight between Leon and I but someone gave the word out to people and a huge crowd showed up to our arena.

The fight began and this time I was able to make the first move. I could tell that Leon had already thought that he had won the fight but quickly realized that it would be different than last time. I had grown stronger and more confident in my sword fighting skills. We battled it out for a bit, testing each other and seeing where we were at, then the real fight began. It was an intense battle and I'm proud to say that they had to make a few patches in the floor from when we were fighting. I eventually caught Leon off guard and was able to take him down.

"Oi, kid quit daydreaming, your match is about to start" some random from the person crowd yelled. I jolted back to attention and focused back on the kid ranked twelfth. He held his body in a cocky manner, like he had already won the fight. I hate people who are cocky, they know nothing about their opponent and expect to win; cockiness only leads to greater humiliation after a loss.

"Ready" Ukitake announced. I got down into my beginning fighting pose. The boy opposite me did the same. "Begin!" I charged at the boy ready to initiate the first strike but my zealousness got over me because he was able to slip behind me and hit me in the back with the butt of his sword. I stumbled for a little bit, and ignored the laughter from the crowd. I put my sword in one hand and pointed the other at the boy.

"Hado 31 Shakkahou!" I shouted and a red cannonball of energy shot at the boy. He blocked it with his sword but it took some effort. He retaliated by putting his sword in one hand and pointing at me. I got ready to avoid his attack.

"Bakudo 1 Sai" Suddenly I was unable to move, I knew of this Bakudo and yet I did I could do nothing to evade it at such close quarters. He walked over to me and kicked me in the ribs. "This will be all over once you just give up" he kept kicking me in the stomach. "You wanna give up now girly" I spat on his shoe.

"Never" I said, he just laughed at me and continued to kick me. I said never but I was pretty sure I felt a crack in my ribs. Then I heard Shi in my head 'Call my name out Hitomi, it is time for you to call my name. This time I am sure you'll hear it.' I felt beginning to rise, it was faint but it was there. I used what little strength I had to grab my sword firmly in my hand. 'My name is-' I stuck my sword into the ground "Hahanaru Shizen!" I shouted. That building energy erupted like a volcano and the binding spell broke. The boy flew backwards, as did a lot of the crowd watching. I stood up and faced my opponent; I was bathed in a green glow.

I looked down at my sword; the hilt itself stayed the same except for a vine that was attached to the butt of it. The blade itself had split into three branches, but they weren't stiff like wood should be, they were limp like vines. My opponent was soon back on his feet, outraged at the developments. He picked up his sword and charged at me I held up my sword and the previously limp wood stiffened and blocked his strike, just like a regular sword would. He stopped attacking me and put some distance in between us. Now I was ready to fight.


End file.
